PROGRESSIVE DAIRY FARMING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1679, 4 May 1904, Page 65

PROGRESSIVE DAIRY FARMING

(IJy Mrs Edward Voul.) ■ (Late Lecturer on Dairying to the County Council of Cumberland and the Agricultural College,, Aspatria.) PIGS. : DAIRY-FED PORK FROM ENGLISH • , PIGS. ‘ n Of all the minor animals upon the farm th© pig. I think, should command our ' grateful and , respectful attention, for, *in spite of all the derogatory terms and treatment of the living animal, when dead, and in the forms of well-fed pork and properly cured ham, it holds a foremost place upon our daily table which would be hard to* replace. Therefore, .in spite of the fact that “Dirty as a'pig” and “Only fit for a pig” have become classics: All hail! to the British dairy-fed pig. With all . due deference to the excellent spetfbnens of colonial bacon and foreign pork which arrive in this country, our own homefed. home-grown produce commands the highest, price and favour in our markets. NATIVE BREEDS, Tlie recognised native breeds i of the British Isles are the Large White, Middle White, Small White, Small Black, Berkshire, Taimvorth. and a newcomer, which has become a factor in modern showyards, the Large Black, wh ch is considered,. by many to be the best class of pig for "the farmyard; further, the breed is prolific, often giving 16 to 18 at a birth, and the length and weight they attain at an early age is a great point in their favour. COLOURS. The Large, Middle, and Small White are, as their names denote, white in colour, the Berkshire and the Black breeds black, and the Tamworth red. The white breeds are known under the term of “YORKSHIRES.” ' The Large White is a much improved breed of the present day. Years back they wore immense, fatted animals, unwieldly „and gross, but much has been done to improve the breed and render them compact in form and fine in flesh and flavour. Though of a white colour, there are often a few blue spots on the sk’n. The whole body is covered with straight, silky hair, denoting quality and lean meat. The neck is long, the ribs deep, the h<Ud medium long, with drooping ears, and the lo : ns wide and _level. They are very prolific, and may be grown to an immense weight. The Small White are greatiy esteemed by many. They are good mothers, prolific, and quick growers. They readily fatten, but are large eaters. It is supposed that crossing with Chinese pigs is responsible for many of the characteristics of this breed. They are not generally' adapted for dairy farmers, but are very useful for improving larger and coarser breeds, as their flesh is very del hate and fetches a high price in London. They possess small “puggy” snouts, with upturned nostrils. Their eyes are entirely hidden under their projecting and wrinkled foreheads. They have very short legs, and their bodies ’ are short, th ; ok. wide, and very close to the ground. The hair is’long and silky, and they are often very fat. The Middle White is very like the Large White on a smaller scale, matures early, is a bacon p ; g—neither too coarse nor too lean —and fattens easily. They are most in demand for breeding porkers. “BERKSHIRE®.” The Berkshire may safely be described as the most popular breed we possess. There are differences cf opinions and experiences, of course, but it will generally be consented that they are also the most profitable breed to keep. The Berkshires are generally supposed to owe their type to the infusion of Chinese blood, especially as there are both black and black-and-white varieties. The appearance of the typical-Berkshire, according to an expert, is as follows: ./'Head neither long nor snort, but medium, with open- countenance, and wide between the eyes and ears; snout neither ‘ straight nor chubby, but nicely and evenly dished; eyes kind and intelligent; jowl clean and not heavy; ears erect and not small or pricky. but covered with fine, silky hair, and a good fringe round the ears. . The head and body should be -well joined together, and the rise; from between the eyes and over the -poll to the shoulder should be so that yon cannot say where the neck begins and ends, either on top or underneath. The back is long and straight, with the tail well up and level at the end of the back—-not down on the hocks; ribs wellsprung; loin broad and powerful; shoulders clean and light; sides deep; tail strong and well made, and not like whipcord; under-line levei and true, and not rising up into the flank or tucked up at the girth; hams wide and long—i.e., I like to see the hip bone well away from / the setting on of the tail; coat ample ' and silky, not coarse; legs strong and straight, not too long; and,, above all, that the pig walks on his toes, and not on).bis pastern joints; action free and smooth.ml round; and a quiet docile disposition; about two inches of white on eaolVleg from the toe upwards; a white - snout (narrowing to a point between the eyes-); a good white flag on the end of ! the tail, and no white anywhere else. The sows should be big, long, and roomy; but the best boar to use is one more compact/ strong, and active/' .

The strength and character of the coat varies accord ng to sex and management. Close breeding and confinement reduce the flairi Bristles are objectionable, denoting coarse offal/slow feeding, and a thick skin. On the other hand, thin weak hair denotes delicacy, especially in the male, which should be plentifully endowed with hair, otherwise the offspring will be deficient. Hair denotes constitut'on, but too much and too strong in the sow denotes coarseness. The flesh in the Berkshire* is evenly, distributed in fat • and lean when properly fed. But the great merit of the breed over that of others is the greater proportion of lean meat they po-'seSs. The Small Black reseinbles the* Small White Very much, save that ! t is rather longer iff the body, and is of a jet black colour, the' hair being father' scanty. ' It is chiefly valuable for its early maturity and facility to fatten. } OTHER BREEDS. , ' ■ The .classificat’ou of the breeds of pigs is not in so advanced a stage as those made of our other animals in this country. There are many var'eties of pigs that cannot be clashed under any of the above headings. But those mentioned are some of the best known and deservedly valued. THE "TAMWORTH.” This breed is essentially valued as a bacon pig, its colour is red, Avith dark spots ,on the skin, and the legs, body, and head are long. One of the oldest breeds of pigs, it has been extensively bred and improved. GENERAL MANAGEMENT. Pgs on dairy farms, like poultry, pick up most or part of their own living. Much food that Avould otherwise be wasted falling to their share is profitably used up and returned in k ; nd. Whey and better milk are splend'd foods for fattening porkers. Potatoes too <?mall for other use, and roots of various kinds, come in most usefully in this department. But the pigs, to yield a profit, must be properly managed, tended, and housed. Tt must not be .thought that anv place w’Tl suit p : gs because they are the scavengers of the farm. BREEDING. In breeding p’gs, as Avith poultry, it will cost no more to begin with the right sort. Tin’s point ; s verv v : tal to the' male mg of pig breed : ng a profitable undertaking. In procuring a sire ft is money well sjient a get a good class of an mal, paying great attention to the form, vigour, and other breeding qualities—and, having procured the founders of your stock, to treat them well. Early maturity is usually possessed Avith the other good ouakties of well-bred animals, and the gilts may he mated at e : ght months old, thus having their first litter Avhen a year old. FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT 1 . The brood soav should be kept thriving and in good condition from the start, not fattened Avith heat I’ng 1 ’ng food, but bulky, digestible material and alloAved . plenty of exercise. A fortnight before farrowing the soav should be put into a house and fed on sloppy food, not fed up With grain or hard corn, which Avill cause her to become feverish and stop the milk supply. In such a cond'tion the soav is apt to become ferocious and kill her young. Tf feverish symptoms should occur, a dose of Epsom salts should be administered in sloppy food, and she should be sparingly fed upon bran and middlings for a week If proper care is taken in feeding before farrowing, unfavourable conditions Avill be avoided, and the soav be quiet and comfortable at th : s time. If it is not convenient for the soav to have had her liberty on pastures or meadows before farrowing. then a certain amount of green stuff should be cut and allowed her each day. She should also have been handled and talked to her attendant, as, if the sow knows him, she will not be so wild, and be easier to manage at the time of farroAving. ‘YOUNG PIGS. There are so many points in favour of little pigs being born in the cpring that they can hardly be enumeracH li* re. However, the following are some of the principal:—l. They have the best months of the year to thrive in. 2. There is a marked contrast w'th jugs farrowed in spring compared with those born in the late summer and autumn. 3. The most critical time of a pigling’s life is from the end of the .second to the end of the fourth month. 4. There is far less r ; sk in rearing little pigs from December and early January than from those born in September. 5. More piglings should not be reared than the sow has teats for. In many cases more are littered, but they should be killed off. as they very rarely thrive. FOOD ' For ten weeks after farrowing no food will suit the sow and her litter better than a mixture-of sharps and about onesixth bran. When the little ones are able to feed, some skim-milk will suit them admirably—placed beyond the reach of the sow. They may be weaned at from six to eight weeks old, when, of course, the quantity has been gradually increased. From this time barley meal should be added to the sharps and at five months old it may consist wholely of meal. In conjunction with skim-milk, barley meal produces the choicest of dairy-fed pork. At seven months old they should be killed, and Avith liberal feeding the weight of a well-bred pig should be 1201 b of prime pork. NOTES ON FEEDING TO BE REMEMBERED. ✓ " 1. Peas, beans, and maize make wholesome additions, but maize must be used , ■with judgment. , 2. Whilst a pig is growing it is well to give it nitrogenous food to develop its 1 frame and muscle, and, although exercise 1 is an excellent thing, it is recommended not to allow pigs required for fattening to wander much, as they rapidly reduce : their fat. :< 3. In frosty or wintry weather the food 1 should be warmed.

4. Maize meal must he scalded before giving t young pigs. 5. Too much maize makes the flesh yolloav and flabby, Avhilst the over employment of pea-meal and bean-meal makes it stringy and tough. 6. summer most kinds of green stuffs should be fed, Avliilst in AV.nter roots, such as kohi-rabi, mangels, and SAvedes should be steamed and pulped. THE BEDDING. Dry Avheat straw night and morning should be used for suckling pigs. Fattening pigs need no litter, a boarded and bare floor being the best. P gs have Httle stomachs, and therefore require mme frequent feeding, Avith food of a concentrated character, than the other cattle on the larm. . RINGING. Pigs cannot be alloAved to go out to grass “ringing,” as they destroy and root up crops and do great damage. Store pigs require and are all the better* for exercise, therefore the .sooner this operation is completed the bettei. Fattening pigs are all the better for washing, and thrive much better if Avashed and scrubbed once or twice a Aveek. They like the operation and readily submit to the luxury of cleanliness. And the knowledge that tii s process of cleanliness is carried out in regard to those animals adds much to the relish ot the fastidious for dairy-fed pork.